1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to methods for making conductive wires and, particularly, to a method for making conductive wires based on carbon nanotubes.
2. Description of Related Art
Ink jet printing can be advantageous for making unique prints because, as a digital technology, images can be easily changed or varied. As the advancement of science and technology continues, ink jet printing may be used in the process of making an interconnection wire.
One method for making interconnection wires includes the following steps. Firstly, a dispersion of carbon nanotubes with carbon nanotubes dispersed in an organic solvent is prepared. Secondly, a baseline is printed with the dispersion on a surface of a substrate. Thirdly, the organic solvent is evaporated to obtain a conductive baseline. Finally, the surface of the conductive baseline is electroplated in an electroplating bath containing a metal ion, so that an interconnection wire, which is a composite of metal and carbon nanotubes, is formed.
However, the method for making interconnection wires by printing and electroplating has the following disadvantages. Firstly, a mass ratio of the carbon nanotubes in the dispersion solvent used in this method is large, usually above 10% to ensure formation of a conductive baseline for the electroplating. Such a large mass ratio means the carbon nanotubes cannot be dispersed in the solvent uniformly, resulting in a non-uniform thickness of the interconnection wires. Secondly, current density in the conductive baseline will be non-uniform during electroplating which further contributes to the non-uniform thickness of the interconnection wires.
What is needed, therefore, is to provide a method for making conductive wires having an improved uniformity of thickness.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate at least one embodiment of the present method for making conductive wires, in at least one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner.